Continental Opens "Lighting 101" in their Advanced Lighting Lab

Changes in lighting technology have made selecting and understanding lighting products more technical than ever before. With the advent of Compact Fluorescents and LED lights, specifying light is not as simple as asking for a "100 watt bulb" since a 23 watt CFL or a 20watt LED may give the same light output, but look dramatically different to the naked eye. Thus the consumer must now understand the basics of lighting technology to be able to specify the lighting product they desire. For commercial customers, especially retailers, understanding lighting is even more significant.

To assist consumers in understanding lighting technology, Continental has developed a hands-on exhibit dubbed "Lighting 101." This exhibit demonstrates light output, light color and the effects of different lights on the colors in the environment.

The exhibit is open by appointment during regular business hours at Continental's facility in downtown Anderson, IN. To schedule your visit, call 765.778.9999.

Great Inventions of the 20th Century: Neon Signs

The theory behind sign technology dates back to 1675 before the age of electricity, when the French astronomer Jean Picard observed a faint glow in a mercury barometer tube. When the tube was shaken a glow call barometric light occurred, but the cause of the light (static electricity was not understood at that time.

Even though the cause of barometric light was not yet understood, it was investigated. Later, when the principles of electricity were discovered, scientists were able to move forward towards the invention of many forms of lighting.

Georges Claude - Inventor of the First Neon Lamp

The word neon comes from the Greek "neos," meaning "the new gas." Neon gas was discovered by William Ramsey and M. W. Travers in 1898 in London. Neon is a rare gaseous element present in the atmosphere to the extent of 1 part in 65,000 of air. It is obtained by liquefaction of air and separated from the other gases by fractional distillation.

The French engineer, chemist and inventor Georges Claude was the first person to apply an electrical discharge to a sealed tube of neon gas to create a lamp. Georges Claude displayed the first neon lamp to the public on December 11, 1910 in Paris.

*information accredited to Mary Bellis, About.com